Jesus' Gospel

During Jesus' time, the people of His land lived in great suffering. The country was under foreign rule, and they had no freedom. They were extremely poor due to heavy taxation and were plagued by hunger and disease everywhere. They believed that Satan was the king of the world, and this was the reason for their miserable state. They lived with the hope that God's rule would come.

The Pharisees taught that if everyone kept the Sabbath properly, God's Kingdom would soon come to earth. John the Baptist, who proclaimed the coming of God's rule, called people to repent and turn away from evil. He warned that God would appoint a king, and there would be judgment; those who did evil would fall into the lake of fire.

Jesus traveled throughout the land, proclaiming a new Gospel: God is the eternal king of the world; His Kingdom is here and now. God welcomes everyone into His Kingdom of love with open arms. God does not impose His rule but invites us with love. We have the freedom to accept or reject this invitation.

The people of that time rejected the invitation, and Jesus was crucified. Humans continue to be blind, rejecting God's love. Today, we still deny the present reality of God's Kingdom, waiting for a future kingdom that may never come.

Jesus' Gospel is not about a future kingdom but about the present reality of God's love and rule. We are invited to enter His Kingdom, but we have the freedom to accept or reject this invitation.